


I'm Late, I'm Late, For A... Very Important Date?

by kiss_me_cassie



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Be_compromised Valentine's Day Promptathon, F/M, Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 23:26:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13774824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiss_me_cassie/pseuds/kiss_me_cassie
Summary: It isn't really a date. Or is it?





	I'm Late, I'm Late, For A... Very Important Date?

**Author's Note:**

> For CloudAtlas' prompt: Clint and Nat go on dates with each other on Valentine's Day those years they don't have a partner to go with, and that's totally normal, shut up Tony. Just... it's been a while since they've had partners. And the restaurants are getting fancier.
> 
> Thanks for Crazy4Orcas for the title help.

Clint was waiting in the kitchen, fiddling with his cufflinks, when Tony and Steve came in bickering about the latest updates Tony wanted to make to Steve's shield. They stopped as soon as they got a good look at Clint.

"Barton! What's the occasion?" Tony exclaimed, clapping him on the back. "Don't think I've seen you this dressed up since that op in Monte Carlo. Are you going on a date?" 

Clint chuffed and continued futzing with his cuff links. "No, of course not."

"But it's Valentine's Day and you're all dressed up," Steve said, picking up an orange and tearing into the rind. "In my day, that usually meant a date."

"It's not a date," Clint grumbled. He started to say more, but was interrupted by the timely appearance of Natasha.

"Hello, boys."

"Wow." Tony said, jaw dropping as he took in her stunning red dress and four inch heels. He swiveled back to Clint. "Natasha? Really?"

"I told you. It's not a date." Clint grumbled. "It's just dinner."

"Right. Just dinner. Together. On Valentine's Day. Totally normal for two people who aren't dating," Tony said. "Unless you're fucking." He paused and blinked. "Are you? Fucking, that is?"

Natasha rolled her eyes at him. "You really think we'd share that kind of information with you, Stark?"

"One can only hope," he said transferring his admiring gaze from Natasha to Clint and grinning. "I bet Clint's fabulous in bed."

It was Clint's turn to roll his eyes. "Enough, Stark. It's just dinner. Between friends. That's all."

"Normally I'd hate agreeing with Tony but didn't you two go out on Valentine's Day last year, too?" Steve chimed in.

"No," Natasha answered reflexively at the same time Clint said, "Well, yeah."

They looked at each other and shrugged.

"But only because neither of us had a date last year either. It wasn't like a date-date or anything," Clint said.

Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Well, it _wasn't_ ," Clint repeated. He turned to Natasha and held out her wrap for her. "You ready?"

"More than ready."

\---

Forty-five minutes later, Clint and Natasha were seated at a secluded table in a high end steakhouse.

"This is a lot fancier than I was expecting," Natasha said, looking around. "How did you find out about this place?"

"I think Coulson might have mentioned it in passing." He paused and shot a crooked grin her way. "Which probably should have clued me in about how fancy it was. But he was salivating over their steaks so I think I might have blocked out some other, more relevant details in favor of that one."

"I'm definitely not complaining," Natasha said with a laugh as she smoothed her napkin across her lap. "It's a nice a step above where we went last year."

"Giuseppe's," Clint supplied before popping open his menu and then closing it again. He shifted awkwardly in his seat. "So, uh, that thing Steve said. We didn't actually spend Valentine's Day the year before last together, did we? 

Natasha tilted her head to the side and thought about it. "Yes, we did, because that was right after Belgrade."

"Right," he said, nodding and opening his menu again. "And we both couldn't stand to be alone so we closed out the bar at O'Malley's before stumbling back to my place together."

It was Natasha's turn to nod. "But we definitely didn't share Valentine's the year before that one."

"No... " Clint started to say before changing his mind. He squinted at her. "Maybe?"

They stared at each other in horrified silence for a moment. Natasha was the one to finally speak up. "Oh my God, Clint, _are_ we dating? Was Tony right?"

"Tony can't be right. I mean, we're occasionally sleeping together and stuff - not that I would ever admit that to him - but…" He groaned. "Shit, Nat. We are. How did we not figure out we were dating?"

"I don't know." She fiddled with her butter knife. "So what do we do now?"

Clint swallowed. "Um, keep doing it?"

"Should we?"

"Yes?" Clint half-asked. "No, _yes_."

She made a little annoyed noise. "Which is it Clint? Yes or no?"

"Yes. Definitely yes," he said firmly. He reached across the table for her hand and she didn't pull it away, although she was sure her expression made it look like she was going to pick up the knife and stab him at any moment. Luckily, they were well past the point where he felt threatened by things like that. He leaned forward earnestly. "Nat, we're best friends, we like spending time with each other, and the sex is fantastic. Why shouldn't we be dating?"

"Because it's dating!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand away and fiddling with the tablecloth this time. Anything to prevent her from throwing a knife in frustration or bolting out of fear. "Neither of us has a very good track record at that. What if it ruins what we have?"

"It won't," he assured her, warming up to things. "If you think about it, we've been dating now for like three years without even knowing it. So how would giving it an official name ruin it?"

"Clint."

"Natasha."

She sighed, knowing there was no way to move him when he was being so obstinate. Besides, he was _right_ , dammit. But she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Fine. But we're not telling the others. We're especially not telling Stark. Let him keep on guessing."

Clint grinned at her. "Deal."


End file.
